Sculptures of London’s New Routemaster buses will be displayed across the capital from September as part of Transport for London’s ‘Year of the Bus 2014 sculpture trail project’, it has been announced.

Some 60 unique designs have been commissioned by TfL for the project, which aims to give Londoners and visitors the chance to “discover” the sculptures via five public art trails, three of which will be set up in central London, with the remaining two on the city’s outskirts, route-one.net reports.

The bus sculptures – which are 2.5 metres long, one metre high and half a metre wide – are to be painted by a mix of established and up-and-coming artists to showcase the rich history of London’s buses and their impact on the economy and city as a whole.

At the end of the year, all bus sculptures will be auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting international transport charity Transaid, among others. The sculpture trails are just part of ‘Year of the Bus 2014’, handyshippingguide.com notes, which also celebrates the 100th anniversary of London buses being sent to the Western Front during WW1 and marks 75 years since the introduction of the RT-Type bus.

Leon Daniels, TfL’s managing director for surface transport, said: “The project also seeks to remind everyone of the key role that London’s buses play in the lives of so many millions of people in this city. The New Routemaster is already famed for its asymmetrical geometry, curves and flowing lines – I’m delighted that this sculpture trail will see the iconic London bus transformed into multiple works of art across the city.”